Pictured: monarch, Danaus plexippus
Notes from Jenyns: This species is not mentioned in Jenyns’ notebooks.
200-year trend in Cambridgeshire: Little change.
Modern records
This spectacular butterfly is not recorded by Jenyns but it can in some exceptional years make its way all the way from America over to our shores. A handful of historical sightings exist from Cambridgeshire, with some likely the result of escape from UK butterfly farms, but both historically and today it would be a very rare treat to witness this transatlantic traveller in the UK.
National records map
Monarch national records map: https://species.nbnatlas.org/species/NHMSYS0000502090